The present pilot ejection seats for high-speed military aircraft typically include a drogue chute which becomes shortly deployed upon ejection so as to slow the ejected seat. Thereafter, a preset time delay passes before the seat harnesses release the pilot and a main parachute is deployed for the pilot's descent. For typical applications, under 15,000 feet of altitude, the timing for parachute deployment remains the same whether the seat is traveling at low speed or at a relatively high speed such as 600 knots. This time interval is typically 2.0 seconds. Such a fixed time delay feature adversely affects the safety performance of a seat travelling at less than 600 knots since the parachute could be deployed earlier, which could mean the difference between escape success or failure. It would be desirable to follow the basic tenet of optimum ejection seat design, which is to deploy the parachute as quickly as possible without hurting pilot or parachute.